Category: Note

On May 10, 1775, the Green Mountain Boys captured Fort Ticonderoga, New York. The Green Mountain Boys were led by Ethan Allen and Colonel Benedict Arnold. They surprised and captured the fort’s small British garrison. The cannons and other armaments captured at Fort Ticonderoga were later transported to Boston by Colonel Henry Knox and used to fortify Dorchester Heights and break the standoff at the siege of Boston. — May 10, 1837: New York City banks failed and unemployment reached record levels. (The Panic of 1837.) — And on May 10, 1971 US special delivery rates were increased from 45 …

On May 9, 1754, the first newspaper cartoon was published in America. It depicted a divided snake with the words “Join or Die” by Benjamin Franklin. It was published in The Pennsylvania Gazette. — May 9, 1916: A wind-blown fire in Ellendale, North Dakota destroyed three blocks of businesses, a church, and 21 homes. — Today’s feature article is a guest post from our friend Brandon Smith, the editor of the Alt-Market.us blog, which we highly recommend bookmarking. – JWR — We still need entries for Round 124 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. More than $984,000 worth of prizes …

On May 8, 1792, British Captain George Vancouver sighted and named Mount Rainier, Washington. — Also on May 8, 1792, Congress passed the second portion of the Militia Act, requiring that “…every free able-bodied white male citizen of the respective States, resident therein, who is or shall be of age eighteen years, and under the age of forty-five years be enrolled in the militia.” — Today is also the birthday of Austrian economist Friedrich Hayek. — The feature article today is a guest post from our friend Jennifer Rader — a name that  should be familiar to SurvivalBlog readers. We …

On May 7, 1697, Stockholm’s medieval royal castle was destroyed by fire. The Codex Gigas (pictured) — the world’s largest extant medieval illuminated manuscript) — survived by being thrown out a window. — May 7, 1867: Swedish chemist Alfred Nobel patented dynamite in England. This was the first of three patents he would receive for the explosive. — We are running a two-week-long sale in all of our percussion revolvers at Elk Creek Company, with deep discounts. This sale will end on Monday, May 18th, 2026. Please note that there are cartridge conversion cylinders available for many of these guns …

On May 6, 1837, US blacksmith John Deere made the first steel plough, in Grand Detour, Illinois. — May 6, 1851: Linus Yale Jr. patented the Yale cylinder lock. — You may already own a SIEGE Stove or a SIEGE Belt from SIEGE Survival. (One of our loyal advertisers.)  I just heard that they’ve added the excellent American-made Fire-Fast firestarters to their product line. (At the SIEGE website, click on “Ferro Rod Fire Steels”.) You can see one of these being tested after four days of submersion, in a YouTube video. Tom Christianson will soon be reviewing one of the jumbo-size …

On May 5,1865, the first US train robbery occured at North Bend, Ohio. — May 5, 1893: The Panic of 1893 caused a large crash on the New York Stock Exchange. — This is also the birthday of Pat Frank (1908-1964). This was the pen name of newspaper journalist Harry Hart Frank. His 1959 novel Alas, Babylon is a survivalist classic. His personal life was marred by alcoholism, but his writing is admired and still surprisingly popular. (Alas, Babylon is still in print, after 67 years!) As an homage to Pat Frank, one of the settings in my novel Expatriates …

On May 4, 1415, reformers John Wycliffe and Jan Hus were condemned as heretics at the Council of Constance. Pictured is Jan Hus at the Council of Constance, in an 1883 painting by Václav Brožík. Hus had traveled to Constance with the promise of safe passage by both Holy Roman Emperor Sigismund and the Pope. But after he arrived the Pope and the cardinals soon ordered him to be thrown into prison. On July 6, 1415, after a ghastly stay fettered in prison and two trials, he was offered either recanting or death, and he chose a martyr’s death. He …

On May 3, 1810, English poet Lord Byron swam across the dangerous Hellespont Strait in Turkey. (The modern day Dardanelles.) — May 3,1952:  The first airplane landed on the ice pack at the geographic North Pole. — And on May 3, 1999: A category F5 tornado hit parts of Oklahoma City and caused the record wind speed of about 301 mph (484 km/h). 45 people were killed, and 665 injured.  This was the highest tornado wind speed ever recorded. — Today’s feature article is a timely re-post from the SurvivalBlog archives.

On May 2, 1918, General Motors acquired the Chevrolet Motor Company of Delaware.  This synergy helped propel GMC to be a serious rival to Ford. — May 2nd, 1803: The United States purchased the Louisiana Territory from France at a cost of four cents per acre for 828,000 square miles (2,144,520 square km), which soon proved to be a tremendous bargain. — Today’s feature article is a repost from the 2018 archives of SurvivalBlog. — We need more entries for Round 124 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. More than $984,000 worth of prizes have been awarded since we started …

On May 1, 1840 the “Penny Black” — the world’s first adhesive postage stamp was issued by the United Kingdom. It featured an image of Queen Victoria. — May 1, 1857: William Walker, conqueror of Nicaragua, surrendered to the U.S. Navy, in Rivas. — And on May 1, 1898 US Admiral George Dewey commanded: “You may fire when you are ready, Gridley” as the US routed the Spanish fleet at Manila Bay. — An encouraging news flash: House Appropriations 2027 Funding Bill Ends Suppressor, Short Barrel Rifle Registration. JWR’s Comment:  Be sure to contact both your U.S. congressman and your …

On April 30, 711, the Islamic conquest of Iberia began. Moorish troops led by Tariq ibn Ziyad (pictured) landed at Gibraltar to begin their invasion of the Iberian Peninsula. The Al-Andalus Umayyad Caliphate eventually supplanted the Visigothic Kingdom. — April 30, 1864: New York became the first state to charge a hunting license fee. — Today is the birthday of sci-fi novelist Larry Niven (born April 30, 1938). Along with Jerry Pournelle, he co-authored the survivalist classic Lucifer’s Hammer. — Today’s feature is a reader-written piece that was to short to qualify as an entry for Round 124 of the …

On April 29, 1990, wrecking cranes began tearing down the Berlin Wall at the Brandenburg Gate. — On April 29, 1992, a jury acquitted Los Angeles Police Department officers on charges of excessive force in the beating of Rodney King.  The verdict sparked massive riots in the city and smaller ones in other U.S. cities. African-Americans in Los Angeles were enraged by the acquittal of the officers. Thousands of people began rioting across the city. For six days, scenes of wanton violence, looting, arson, assault and murder convulsed the city, with incidents like the brutal assault on truck driver Reginald …

On April 28, 1910 the first-ever nighttime airplane flight was made by Claude Grahame-White, in England. According to Britannica: “Educated at Bedford in engineering, Grahame-White owned one of the first gasoline-driven motorcars in England and worked at a motor-engineering business in London until he became interested in aeronautics in 1909. On Jan. 4, 1910, he gained the first English aviator’s certificate of proficiency. Also in 1910, he entered many flying races in Europe and in the United States, where he won the Gordon Bennett Cup.” — April 28th is the birthday of Aimo Johannes Lahti. (Born in 1896.) This inventive …

On April 27, 1667, at age 59, blind and impoverished, English poet John Milton sold his copyright to “Paradise Lost” for just £10 Sterling. — April 27, 1789: he crew of the British ship Bounty mutinied, setting Captain William Bligh and 18 sailors adrift in a launch in the South Pacific. — On this day in 1861, West Virginia seceded from Virginia after Virginia had seceded from the Union. — The last day! We have been running a two-week-long sale on all of our pre-1899 antique shotguns at Elk Creek Company, with deep discounts. This sales ends at midnight tonight, …

On April 26, 1777, it is claimed that 16-year-old Sybil Ludington rode all night in a rainstorm for 40 miles to warn her father’s New York militia of the approach of the British army. — April 26, 1937: The German Luftwaffe’s “Condor Legion” destroyed Basque town of Guernica, in Spain. — Just one day left! We are running a two-week-long sale on all of our pre-1899 antique shotguns at Elk Creek Company, with deep discounts. This sale will end on Monday, April 27th, 2026. Please note that some of these guns have been re-sleeved and re-proofed for modern shotshells! — …